On Sunday, March 23rd, over 230 men became ordained rabbis, making this the largest class of musmakhim to graduate from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) in Yeshiva University’s history. The Chag HaSemikhah ceremony took place in the Nathan Lamport Auditorium at Zysman Hall. Over 3,000 people attended the ceremony and over 5,000 viewed it on online. Throughout the day, a parade of the hundreds of celebrating musmakhim and their roshei yeshiva, teachers, family and friends overwhelmed the streets of Washington Heights. The celebrations culminated with a gala fundraiser, at which philanthropist Jay Schottenstein and Rabbi Gedalia Dov, a graduate of RIETS , were honored for awards they received at the ceremony: the Etz Chaim Award and the Harav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik zt”l Aluf Torah Award, respectively. The fundraising dinner also brought in a remarkable $1.1 million dollars for RIETS. When asked how the success of the fundraiser will affect the future of RIETS, Rabbi Menachem Penner, Dean of RIETS, stated that “the gifts are crucial at this time [and] will primarily be directed towards continuing the level of our programming.”
On Sunday, March 23rd, over 230 men became ordained rabbis, making this the largest class of musmakhim to graduate from the In his speech during the ceremony, President of Yeshiva University Richard Joel said that he was overwhelmed with hope that these musmakhim would bring about “a state of true shleimut” (completion) for the Jewish people. One of the graduates, Shay Schachter, also viewed the event as an important moment for the Jewish community at large: “It was an awesome feeling to look around the room at fellow and very dear musmakhim, some who have already accomplished incredible amounts, and [who] have great capacity to lead, teach and inspire – and then to close my eyes and think about how much better tomorrow’s American Jewish community will be, as a result of our group.”
For Dean Penner, the graduation comes at “a very crucial time in Jewish history” when “there is a greater and greater need for young rabbis who are open, non-judgmental, and welcoming, yet fully committed to the traditional process of halakha.”
“We need rabbis who can be sensitive to different kinds of people, yet firm with their halakhic stances,” he added.
Though the Chag HaSemikha honored the men of RIETS, the ceremony had a special meaning for the many women who attended as well. Professor of Judaic Studies at Stern Smadar Rosensweig, whose son Moshe Ariel Rosensweig and son-in-law David Weiss both became ordained at the ceremony, expressed that the event was significant “for my daughter Moriah, my daughter-in-law Jackie, and myself, because we are dedicated Jewish scholars and educators.”
“It was thrilling to participate in this event which celebrates the ongoing continuity of our mesorah in our family and in our community,” she remarked.
The semikha program at RIETS not only gives students a vast Torah knowledge, but also training in psychology, teaching, and understanding of the real world ethical issues that they may face in their future Rabbinic posts.
In his comment to the Observer, Noah Cheses, one of the graduates who currently works as the JLIC educator at Yale University, emphasized the uniqueness of RIETS: “My education at RIETS has equipped me with many of the tools that I use daily in my work on a college campus. From the pastoral psychology classes with Dr. David Pelcovitz, to the Practical Halacha course with Rabbi Ezra Schwartz, I often find myself looking back at my notes to remind myself of the knowledge and wisdom that was availed to me.”